In rebuttal to the letter by Dave Timms (Acorn, March 20) about the purchase of new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses by Simi Valley, I have to say that Mr. Timms must not sit and watch our buses all day. This is obvious because he says they're never even half full.

Transit has peak times throughout the day, and the buses are full. Dial-A-Ride (DAR) vans could not handle the volume of passengers alone. What is transit supposed to do? Have coach exchanges throughout the day to precisely accommodate the influx of passengers? That would be impossible. What about Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requirements?

All of the buses currently run on CNG, this is nothing new to Simi Valley. The current buses are older CNG vehicles and are constantly in the shop for repairs.

What happens when a bus breaks down? We need another to replace it. Transit can't just decide not to run an established fixed route because the buses are breaking down or because we don't have enough passengers at a random part of the day. To say they're underused is an unfair moment of observation, and I sincerely beg to differ.

If you privatize, the cost would be so outrageous passengers couldn't afford it. There are private DAR companies now operating, at a cost of about $30 to $75 a ride to a doctor's appointment. I don't think Simi Valley residents can afford to take cab rides at about $15 to $20 a ride to a part-time job.

I understand the grief that the country is under because of the economy, and I am sorry for that.

But we aren't AIG blowing taxpayers' monies on expensive retreats or Bernie L. Madoffs pulling some Ponzi scheme. We are a little piece of the infrastructure that a lot of people depend on to get to and from work and school safely.

Unfortunately, equipment gets old and needs to be replaced—it's not just because we want new buses; it's an operational and safety issue. Shawn Damoude Simi Valley

Damoude is a transit coach operator in the city of Simi Valley.